Device for protecting piles and other submerged structures.



- I T. NIXON. DEVICE FOR PROTECTING-FILES AND SUBMBRGBD STRUCTURES.

APPLICATION FILED 11 1 11 10,1911.

1,008,669, Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

amumto'z 'ThomasNiacon STATES ATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS NIXON, OF SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14:, 1911.

Application filed July 10, 1911. Serial No. 637,686.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS NIXON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Santa Barbara, in the county of Santa Barbara and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and .useful Improvements inDevices for Protecting Piles and other Submerged Structures, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in piles and other submergedstructures and particularly with reference to means for protecting thepiles and other submerged structures from the attacks of the toredo andother marine creatures which destroy the submerged wooden structures,the invention consisting in a submerged structure of this class providedwith scrapers, actuated by tides and currents to move upon the surfaceor surfaces of the submerged structure and prevent the lodgment of thetoredo and other destructive marine creatures thereon as hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is an elevation of a pileprovided with protecting scrapers in accordance with my invention; andFig. 2 is a detail transverse sectional view of the same on a largerscale.

For the purposes of this specification the submerged wooden structure tobe protected in accordance with my invention is represented as a pile 1.Such structure may, however, be other than a pile and I would have itunderstood that I am not limited as to this particular.

In the embodiment of my invention I provide the submerged structure 1,on its surface or surfaces, with a suitable number of scraping devices 2of such nature as to be adapted to be moved by currents, tides and thelike. In the embodiment of the invention here shown these scrapers orscraping devices are shown as chains which are disposed on the surfaceof the pile, at suitable regular distances apart, and the upper ends ofwhich are secured to the pile at points a suitable distance above thehigh water mark.- These scraping chains lie upon the surface of the pileand extend downwardly thereon. Some of the chains are here shown asextending to the bed 3 in which the lower end of the'pile is sunk andthe alternate chains are here shown as terminating a slight distanceabove this bed. The action of the currents, tides and other influencesand forces to which the water is subjected are such as to cause thescraping chains, which hang loosely on the surface of the pile or otherstructure to move and scrape thereon. The toredo and other destructivemarine creatures which destroy submerged wooden structures have toattach themselves to the surface of the structure before beginning tobore into the same.- The scraping chains, owing to their movement,operate and move back and forth upon the surface or surfaces of thesubmerged structure and by such movement prevent the destructive marinecreatures from effecting lodgment on the surface and hence prevent theirdestructive attacks upon the same.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

A submerged structure having a number of scraping chains, each of thesaid scraping chains being attached at its upper end to the structure,hanging therefrom, bearing against the surface of the structure andbeing movable back and forth upon the surface of the structure by theaction of the tides and currents.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

THOMAS NIXON.

Witnesses:

C. C. HUNT, C. A. THOMPSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Iatents, Washington, D. G.

